


Nameless Purpose

by Soretto



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1920s, F/F, Lovecraftian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-08 06:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6842428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soretto/pseuds/Soretto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"She knew that he was good; best in this city, perhaps. He solved a few cases, tried to solve others and didn't land himself in Arkham Sanitarium, which was an impressive thing itself. The most important thing, however, was the slight chance of Valentine taking Louise seriously, especially now, when she herself wasn't sure she hadn't gone crazy already. " </p><p>In which Sole's son goes missing, Piper is as nosy as always, Nick tries his best and unspeakable horrors wait to be awoken; a 1920s Lovecraft AU nobody asked for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nameless Purpose

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a native English speaker and this is the first fanfic I've ever written fully in English, from start to finish (I am kinda proud of myself, even if that's just one, short-ish chapter), so I'm so sorry for all mistakes and awkwardness. Really, really sorry.  
> Maybe next one will be better. Enjoy?

Perhaps if Louise hadn't stayed in her office and just ignored the letter that was delivered to her, deciding that all students who wanted to talk to her could wait, no matter how horribly were they doing in her class, maybe then perhaps none of this would have happened. She'd be sitting by the fire, reading a bedtime story to Shaun, waiting for the sleep to claim her too, musing on an awful weather of early November of the year 1927.

Or perhaps she'd be lying in a pool of her own blood in the middle of her kitchen, her body colder and colder with each passing minute. Somebody would eventually find her, report it to the police, who would, obviously, try to find the murderer and give up after some time, as it would be just another, unsolved mystery of Arkham, possibly blamed on gangs or alcohol smugglers.

Such thoughts couldn't leave Louise's head as she tried to hold back her tears as she waited in the hallway of Valentine's office. She knew that he was good; best in this city, perhaps. He solved a few cases, tried to solve others and didn't land himself in Arkham Sanitarium, which was an impressive thing itself. The most important thing, however, was the slight chance of Valentine taking Louise seriously, especially now, when she herself wasn't sure she hadn't gone crazy already.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath; of course she knew it. It all had happened before. She just hoped this time it wouldn't end with case landing in the archives without finding anything. Or worse. It would end there, but just after finding the body of her son.

* * *

Louise Hirsch was born in Munich and, as a child, loved that city more than she loved anything else in her life. It passed, obviously, only to come back much more later, 30 years or so. Thus, she wasn't too happy, when her parents decided to move to America in 1910; Louise cared too much about friends and life in Europe she had to leave behind. Full realisation of how lucky she was came after the Great War ended and when she thanked her father, he only smiled sadly. She'd always considered her father a very wise man; when she was a little girl she even thought that he could see what is going to happen soon, that he was a prophet or something equally riddiculous. 

Meeting Nora wasn't that bad thing either, even if wooing married women wasn't what Louise would call her ideal plan for the future. Thank God, they managed to continue it for years without being discovered by anyone. Not that Louise hated Nora's clumsy, occasionally obnoxious, ex-soldier of a husband, yet she couldn't help the childish feeling of victory when they had divorced.

That was also the moment, from which everything decided to go to Hell. Slowly, step by step. At first everything was as good as it could be; she had some money, a home, a job. An amazing and loving companion by her side. A dog, even! But then Louise's father died of cancer, Nora turned out to be pregnant with Nate's child and the last childhood friend she still had contact with, died in Verdun.

And Louise dealt with it; what else there was to do? Her father had lived a long, good life, Nora wouldn't be excactly what would you call “a single mother” and all wars had their victims; Louise was grateful it wasn't anybody she knew better, just an, or so she told herself, almost forgotten person, somebody from the past, linking her to the country of her youth.

What happened next, however, made Louise wonder if there was a God, after all. Maybe some cruel and playful being, punishing her for twenty years of happy life without worries.

Thus said, Nora Howell, love of her life, died on Friday, 12th of January, year 1917, leaving an orphaned son, some of her ex-husband debts and Louise's heart broken into pieces.

So she raised Shaun, returned to her home and her job and her dog. Once again, what else there was to do? You can't muse on the dead forever, not with small kid and war still going on. War that ended one year later, and for some time everything was in peace.

Just until the rumors of witches that once lived in Arkham, turned into people disappearing from their homes with no sign of where could have they gone and one and only one, yet very important and old book was stolen from Miskatonic University's library.

Perhaps the peace and serenity were never an option for Arkham.

* * *

 

She was nervously toying with her scarft when she heard a female voice, followed by the sound of a deep sigh and two pairs of boots coming towards her.

“Nick, you damn well know it's true! Just because police dropped this, doesn't mean you gotta do it, too! You've everything you need, you've witnesses and, as much as I hate to admit, that girl won't be found alive, you need to do something!” voice said, and Louise looked up, searching for Valentine, who must have been the woman's interlocutor.

“Piper,” Nick said, his voice betraying exhaustion. “You know there's not much to be done, not by old me, atleast. I don't want to give up, but this lead is just too small. Y'know I can't work wonders, girl.”

Louise heard someone (the woman called Piper, she pressumed) stomp their foot in anger and then open the door in full swing, almost knocking pictures off the walls. Before her stood a small, dark haired lady dressed in red coat and press cap, and a familiar figure dressed in a worn trench coat with a cigarette between his teeth.

The woman stopped, opened her lips and mouthed an almost silent “oh”. She cleared her throat and smiled apologetically.

“Sorry, ma'am. I, uh, I will be going now... Nick, I swear I'll find something more for you. I'll see you later.” she said and headed towards the door.

Nick rolled his eyes and looked at Louise. He raised his eyebrows in question, and pointer to her his office and an armchair standing in front of the big, wooden desk. She bit her lip, and entered the room. She noticed a woman, who was typing something on a typewriter, and seemed to not notice her. She shrugged and sat down.

“Miss Hirsch, right? Criminal Law professor in our humble university? I think I've read some of your papers and articles. They were not half bad, I'd say. But, I doubt you came here for small talk with an old detective, though. What's the matter?”

“My son,” she breathed out, and instantly scolded herself. “He's... He's missing, that is. The police told me to wait, but he's ten years old and shy and I know he couldn't have leave on his own, I just know it! This tutor left and locked the house, just like every Thursday – he leaves before I come home and I had to stay at Uni longer and...” Louise felt heat on her cheeks as she realised how fast was she speaking and how little it made sense. She breathed in and out, and looked at Valentine. He frowned.

“Ellie? Could you?” he turned his head towards the woman with a typewriter.

“Ah, of course,” Ellie answered him and looked at Louise. “Sorry to hear that happened to you, ma'am. I'm sure Nick will help find your boy, though,” she smiled encouragingly.

“Miss Hirsch, please tell us about it once more. Slower, this time,” he said.

She nodded and moved a loose streak of her hair out of her face. “I came home later than usual, some students wanted to talk to me, but I guess it was just a stupid prank, after all. Codsworth, Shaun's tutor, always leaves around 3 PM and Shaun sits alone for an hour or so. I used to be worried about him, but he is a calm boy, he never causes any trouble, just sits silently and reads books or plays with out dog.

“When I came back,” her voice was shaking. “doors were wide open, Dogmeat sleeping with some kind of sleep dart in his nape and Shaun nowhere to be seen. I called Codsworth, but he didn't know anything. I asked our neighbours, but nobody had seen anything. I called the police, but they told me to wait, because kids run from their homes, but he's ten, for God's sake...!” she felt tears in her yet again. “I know something bad happened to him.”

Valentine dragged on a cigarette and rubbed his forehead. “Miss, I need to know more. What you are saying is very important, but maybe anything else? Details, people you've seen? Maybe –“

“I knew it!” somebody screamed and bursted into the office. Louise frowned and wanted to say something, but Piper's already approached Nick and slammed her fist on desk. “Don't you see this, Nicky? Something is happening in Arkham, and she knows it, too!”

She turned to Louise and raised her eyebrows, almost imploringly. “I know you do, ma'am. Please –“

“Piper, I won't let this become another first page article for that newspaper of yours,” Valentine said and Piper huffed in anger. “Miss Hirsch, this is Piper Wright, one of the journalists from Arkham Advertiser, perhaps the most nosy one.”

Louise nodded, slowly. “I've heard about disappearances before. People gone with no trace, all over New England. Nothing was found, no corpses, no clues, nothing to even suspect anyone. Mostly cold cases, plenty declared dead _in absentia_.” Her voice faltered and Ellie looked at her sympathetically.

“Nick, Ms. Hirsch, please. This is more than you think it is, it has to be! You have no idea how many people has to involved in this, this is much, much bigger than the gangs and booze smuggling!”

Louise opened her mouth; she'd heard about Piper Wright and her quarrel with the mayor. She wondered for how long she had been trying to find the truth. Kidnappings were almost a, hell, normal thing in Arkham, even bofore the Great War. Wright couldn't have been the only one who ever decided to investigate. Louise felt uneasy; did the rest of so called “detectives” just gave up? Did they disappear too? Or maybe they were spending the rest of their days in cells, either prison cells or those in mental hospital.

“What do you mean by saying “bigger”?” she asked. Piper thriumphantly pulled a small notebook out of one of her coat's pockets.

“I had to be done by, I don't know, something not human. Ghosts or cults! Nick, stop rolling your eyes at me, you know no gangster with a pretty moll could've done this. Leaving no warning, no signature? Why kidnap a young son of some professor, not once threating the mother or asking her for dough?”

Nick mused for a moment. “Miss Hirsch, were you ever attacked because of nationality or work?”

Louise shook her head. “No, as I recall. Maybe just after the war, but not in the past five years, or so. I s'ppose people don't really hate me, here. Furthermore, I wouldn't say that many people actually know that I have a son, as I am, ah, unmarried.”

Valentine pinched the bridge of his nose and Ellie stood up, and began searching the filing cabinets next to Nick's desk. When she found what she had been looking for, she laid the files before the man. He picked them up, and flipped through them.

“I believe you, Piper, and I'll help, as much as I can. I'll go through these again.” Piper thanked him and turned to Louise.

“I want to help you find your son. Please, you have to trust me,” she said.

“I will. I do. I...” Louise took a deep breath. “Do you know, where we can start?”

Piper smiled. “Why, yes, of course I do. I was wondering: you do have access to Miskatonic's Library, right?” Louise nodded. “I heard people died, by trying to break in. Attacked by guard dogs, or something along these lines.

“We could find something there, maybe try to find when it had begun. Find the common ground. But first... Could you meet me in the Good Neighbourhood? This evening? We could go even now, but you do seem tired...”

Louise frowned. Good Neighbourhood was a district of Arkham, famous for its speakeasies and a favourite place for hedonistic youth, tired of their boring and monotonus lives. She wasn't sure she wanted to know what kind of people spend their days there, but if Piper believed it would help them find Shaun...

“Don't take wooden nickles, Piper. You know it's hardly a safe place to be,” Nick said. “When you get there, find Hancock. I worked with him, once, and I bet he will be more than willing to help you.”

The woman stood up, thanked Valentine and headed towards the door. Piper followed her, tied a green scarf around her neck and looked through the window.

“It's raining,” she stated. “Thank God my home is not far. Ma'am, do you have money for a cab?”

“Just call me Louise. And you shouldn't go out in this rain. I can pay the driver to stop by your house, too”, Louise said and smiled to Piper.

“That's extremaly kind of you, thank you, m – Louise,” she grimaced. “Doesn't suit you. Can I call you Blue? You, hm, you look like a “Blue” to me.” Piper laughed.

Louise raised her brow, but didn't say anything. Piper continued to talk.

“... I am really sorry about what happened to you. I'm actually kind of raising my baby sister, all my myself. Don't know what would I do, had she disappeard. Must be tough, being a single mother. Your husband, er, died? Sorry, shouldn't have asked. Anyway...” she continued to babble. Louise stared at her feet.

“No problem,” she answered, thinking of Nora. “Look, the cab's here. Shall we go?”

* * *

 

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, yeah. Sorry for butchering violently both universes. But, hey! I'm trying my best.  
> "Nameless Purpose" is just pulled straight outta "The Dunwich Horror" and "The Sin-Eater" from "The Rats in the Walls". It's the title of novel from which comes the gaelic blabbering of main hero.  
> I'm trying to keep it as historically accurate as I can, but honestly, researching the laws concerning missing persons in Massachusetts in 1920s is kinda boring.  
> Well, it's also half past midnight and shit.


End file.
